Love is a Battlefield
by CelestialSpiritQueen
Summary: Nalu Army AU. After a dispute between Fiore's and Alvarez's leaders, war emerges between the two countries. But what happens when Lucy, Fiore's best medic saves someone from the other country? Rated T for language
1. Chapter 1

Loud crashes and the sounds of bullets raining through the air was all that could be heard on the battlefield. The air surrounding the war zone was arid, devoid of even the tiniest breeze which made breathing even more difficult to do. And if that wasn't enough the stench was enough to make anyone want to keel over and hurl up the last meal they had eaten. From all of the bombs going off and other artillery, the fumes burned at your nostrils, threatening to clog your airways as you gasped for a breath of pure oxygen.

"Pull back the front lines!" the Captain's voice managed to break through the chaos. Despite being in such a high ranked position he still stood with his men at the front lines, fighting beside them every step of the way.

"Damn," the Captain muttered under his breath, pausing his fire for a moment to wipe away the sweat dripping down his face, tufts of pink hair peeking through from under his helmet. The enemy was still managing to push them back even farther no matter what tactic they seemed to use today. They always managed to predict what they were about to do. Damn Fiore's Commander. She was being a real pain in the-

"Captain!" One of his best men ran over to him, sweating bullets. "We need to retreat! We're giving up too much land!" the man yelled, his long black hair tied back.

"There still might be a way to salvage this battle yet," The Captain insisted, his eyes hardening with a new determined fire lighting up his green eyes. "Mard, take over for me for a bit, I need to try something." When Mard went to protest he cut him a sharp glare. "Don't argue with me. My name ain't Natsu Dragneel for nothin'!" he couldn't help but grin almost deviously before sprinting off.

"If I can just find a crack in their formation then we might be able to be back in the game," Natsu murmured to himself, his eyes scanning Fiore's army as he ran further and further away from his men. "Ha! There!" he laughed, pointing his finger ahead, where the soldiers had been split up from one of their previous attacks. He began running back to his army to take control again, to drive his forces into Fiore's army and split them apart. It could just work, he knew it. But before he could reach his troops a huge blast threw him backwards, a cry escaping from his throat as he was thrown back, separated from the rest. His body smacked against the ground, his head slamming against the hard terrain and rendering him unconscious, thankfully giving him a short reprieve from pain.

After the major explosion that separated Alvarez's army from their second in command, the battle quickly died out as Mard had everyone retreat, direct orders from Zeref after Natsu hadn't reappeared.

On the other side, Fiore cheered as Zeref's army ran off until their Commander spoke up. "Save the celebrating until tonight, we still have work to do," A petite blonde woman stood on the top of a tank, her long blonde waves reaching past her waist. "Let's clean up and tend to the wounded. You all know what to do!"

"Aye Commander!" everyone raised a hand to their foreheads, saluting their great leader before scurrying off to start their each assigned duties. The soldiers began quickly gathering up their weapons, being careful to make sure they didn't leave anything behind. Sometimes that resulted in people having to sift through the parched and dying grass to find pieces of ammo they had dropped. Those who weren't on cleanup duty or manning a vehicle helped aid their wounded comrades in any way possible, which most of the time meant bringing them to the team of medics they had.

The medic team was made up mostly of women, girls that you would never expect to see in the middle of the fields of war in Alvarez. Their best doctor on staff was a younger women by the name of Lucy Heartfilia, who had long blonde hair that went down to her waist, even with it being tied up in a high ponytail. The uniform she wore was the same as all of the other medics, and similar to that of the soldiers. It consisted of a thick pair of pants and a long sleeved shirt to protect them against shrapnel, bomb blasts, anything of the sort as they healed the wounded.

Bright red crosses were embroidered onto the sleeve of their right arm so that people could differentiate between a soldier and a medic. To complete the look their feet were clad with sturdy black combat boots.

"Has anyone seen Lu-chan?" Levy, a petite blue haired girl asked. She was another medic like Lucy, her best friend and her second in command. Her bangs were kept back by a camouflage headband which she managed to pull off.

"I haven't seen her since after we blasted the Alvarez bastards and made them run home with their tails between their legs," Gray answered her, but he didn't look too concerned even if Lucy was his friend. He knew she was one tough chick. "I'm sure she's around helping someone out."

Levy nodded her head firmly, pushing away her worries. "Yeah, you're probably right. Come on, help me load some of the injured into the jeeps so we can bring them back to base."

"Ugh, my head..." Lucy moaned, clutching her head which throbbed painfully. All she remembered was that she had gotten too close to the Alvarez army and then a bright flash of light. "I must have gotten too close to the crossfire," she mumbled to herself as she looked around, trying to get a feel for her surroundings. There was a lake to her left, some trees up ahead, and her friends nowhere in sight. _Ok, that's fine. The blast just separated me a bit from the group. I'm sure they are close by._

Before she stood up she moved her arms and legs, wiggled her toes and fingers to see if she was hurt as her adrenaline began dying down. Her right wrist hurt as she moved it around but it wasn't broken. Just a slight sprain, nothing bad. There was also a cut on her forehead but besides that she was fine.

"All right Lucy, let's get moving," the blonde coached herself, pushing herself up off of the ground. Thankfully she found her medic bag a little ways away which she picked up, brushing the dirt off of it. "Now to go back to base…wherever that is," she sighed. Nothing around her looked even remotely familiar to her. Picking a direction on instinct she began moving forward. That's all she could do, keep moving and be positive.

Lucy lugged her medic bag with her, making her way through the rough terrain. This area was dotted with trees, a complete contrast to the battlefield. When she ran from the bomb when she realized it was going off she must have went far. As she continued hiking through the forest area, almost tripping and landing on her face multiple times. All she wanted to do right now was take a nice, hot bath back at the base.

While daydreaming about all of the things she wanted but couldn't do right now, the toe of Lucy's shoe caught on a tree root that poked out of the ground causing her to fall with a cry. "Ughh…stupid nature," she complained, picking herself up off of the ground into a crouched position.

Looking around quickly, Lucy moved to stand until she saw a figure on the ground a little ways away. She froze, squinting her eyes as she tried to figure out what the mass was. "It's a person!" Lucy gasped, immediately springing to her feet with her medical bag in hand as she raced over.

Before she reached him she caught sight of his uniform and stopped in her tracks. That wasn't a Fiore uniform. It was one from Alvarez. But his uniform was stained with blood, she could tell that from over here. For all she knew he was dead. _Or he could be saved._

Pushing away any thoughts she started hurrying to him again. No matter what country he was from, which side he fought for, he was still human. No one deserved to be left alone, injured in the woods to die.

Lucy knelt beside him, putting her hand on his neck and waited. She felt a tiny pulse showing that he was still fighting to stay alive. "Just hang in here," she murmured, moving her hand to unbutton his shirt.

Just as her fingers brushed against the material, a hand shot up, grabbing her wrist tightly. Lucy stifled a scream, only letting out a soft gasp as her eyes moved up to his face where blazing green eyes glared at her. But they were the most striking eyes she had ever seen. His pink bangs framing them perfectly.

"Who are you?" the man growled, not letting go of her but at least his grip on her wrist, although tight, wasn't enough to hurt her…yet.

Lucy swallowed hard, sitting up a bit taller so she appeared stronger than she felt. "My name is Lucy Heartfilia. I am the head medic of Fiore's army. I found you here hurt so I'm going to help you."

Lucy watched as the man's glare disappeared and shifted into a look of surprise. "You want to help me? Your enemy?" he asked warily, brows knitting in suspicion.

"Yes, I do," the blonde nodded her head firmly, her eyes narrowed. "No matter what I am a medic and my job is to heal people and I will do that. So do you want my help or not?"

She watched as the man stared her down for another moment before sighing and letting go of her wrist. "Sure thing, it's not like I have anything to lose."

Lucy let her hard expression soften as he agreed. "That is true but you don't have to worry. I'm not a soldier, I'm not going to kill you. That would be going against everything I live by," she unbuttoned his shirt, this time him allowing her to. "What's your name?"

The pink haired soldier, blinked, seeming surprised that she even bothered to ask before he smiled somewhat wryly, and a soft chuckle escaped his mouth, as obvious exhaustion bore down him him. "Natsu," he stated "The name's Natsu."


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry it took long to update I just got back from vacation and my beta reader is on vacation now as well for a while and with school starting next week I don't know how often updates will be. I will try to update at least once every two weeks. If any of you read the whole thing kudos to you! :D Hope you like the chapter and if you do don't forget to heart and leave a review! I read every single one I promise. -CelestialSpiritQueen

Lucy dug into her medical bag quickly, pulling out the supplies she needed. From how he had acted to her she didn't think that his injury was as bad as she thought. Unfortunately when she pulled up his shirt, she could see a huge gash ran across his stomach, bleeding profusely.

"Just keep on talking to me Natsu, you are going to be just fine," she murmured to him, pressing a towel down on his would firmly, causing him to grunt in pain. She needed to stop the blood flow and fast before she could begin to stitch him up.

"Why are you helping me?" the soldier asked her after a moment, making her tear her eyes away from his wound for a moment. Lucy furrowed her brow a bit.

"I already told you. Because I am a doctor and it's my job to save people," she answered him again, pulling the towel away a bit to check on the bleeding. Seeing that the blood flow and slowed down a bit she told him to keep a hand pressed against the towel while she expertly threaded a needle.

Natsu did as she asked, moving his hand away when she began to stitch his wound closed. "What if I killed ya?" he asked, forcing her to freeze for a split second before continuing with her work.

"You wouldn't do that to me," The blonde shook her head, her bangs falling into her eyes as she did so. She pushed them back with her arm as she threaded the needle through his skin expertly.

She noticed the pink haired soldier kept staring at her so she purposely focused on his wound alone until he spoke again. "But what if I killed you?" he asked again, not letting the subject go.

Lucy let out a soft sigh. With tender fingers, she gently lathered some ointment over the stitches so that it wouldn't be infected. "You won't kill me because if you need me right now. You need me to stitch you up and bind up your wound otherwise you die," she replied rather bluntly.

"But what's to stop me from killing you after?" Natsu pressed, watching her tape thick gauze over the wound and then another layer of bandages. His stare was so intense yet Lucy met it with her chocolate brown eyes.

"There's nothing to stop you from killing me now," The medic agreed, sitting back on her heels but kept her surgical scissors in hand just to be on the safe side but she had a feeling that she wouldn't need them. Why? There was just something about him that made her feel like she could trust him. "But I believe in the good in people. If I didn't the world would seem a much darker place. So go ahead, kill me," she spread open her arms, staring him down with her eyes the color of melted chocolate.

Natsu stared back at her blankly for a long moment before bursting out into laughter, tears running down his cheeks from laughing so hard. "You…are such a weirdo!" he managed to get out between laughs.

Lucy was taken aback by his reaction before puffing out her cheeks at him in anger, her face heating up as he continued laughing at her. "I am not a weirdo!" she argued, glaring at him as his laughs only grew louder when she denied it. "You are such a dork," she rolled her eyes, quickly gathering her things and standing.

"Where do you think you are going Princess?" Natsu asked, sitting back up and pulling his shirt back on carefully. His slanted eyes were no longer hard with distrust but now almost playful looking.

Lucy turned sharply on her heel, beginning to walk off. "Back to my base of course! And don't even THINK about following me there!" She continued walking away for a moment until his next question made her stop.

"Do you even KNOW where you are going?" Natsu asked, her silence an answer enough. "That's what I thought," he snickered while the medic turned back to him with a glare.

She opened her mouth to yell at him some more when he lifted up his hand to silence her. "Hey, you helped me so I'll return the favor," Natsu said, putting a hand on his hip. "I know Alvarez waaaaaaaay better than anyone so I'll take ya home."

"But how can I trust you to not tell your comrades where our base is?" Lucy immediately asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Because I like to believe in the good in people," Natsu smirked, quoting her from earlier before beginning to walk away in the opposite direction, his hands behind his head casually.

Lucy could tell he was trying hard not to limp, to act strong in front of everyone but she didn't comment on it. Having nothing to lose except, well, her life, she scurried after the soldier, catching up with him.

"So how are you going to get me to my base when you don't know where it is?" Lucy questioned, walking beside him and making sure to keep with his slower pace so he didn't push himself.

"That is an excellent question Princess," Natsu smirked over at her, shoving his hands in his pockets as he grinned deviously at her. "I'm taking you back to my base."

"Don't call me Princess! And are you crazy?" Lucy hollered, probably bursting his eardrum. "You are going to get me killed! Or make me a prisoner of war!"

"Hey hey hey now I promise I won't let that happen," Natsu scowled, rubbing his ear. "You're lack in faith for me wounds me."

"Well of course I don't have much faith in you when you tell me you are bringing me right into enemy territory," Lucy huffed, crossing her arms over her rather large chest. "And why are you bringing me there in the first place?"

Lucy watched as the pink haired soldier gave her that same crazed grin again. "Because in order to find your camp I need to get a map," he explained easily. "And it will be a pinch getting you in there. All you have to do is act as my prisoner," he said way too brightly.

Lucy's jaw dropped, her skin paling slightly. "This is so going to get me killed…" she groaned in complaint while Natsu only laughed.

"Maybe! But that's the fun in it! A little danger never hurt anyone," he said cheekily. "Just think of it as an awesome adventure."

The blonde doctor rubbed her temples, sighing softly in resignation. She didn't know where she was but he did. "Fine, but if you get me killed I am so haunting you for the rest of your life."

Natsu laughed brightly, patting the top of her head. "That's the spirit. Now come on let's go!"


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey y'all! Sorry for the delay but to make up for it this chapter is the longest one so far and has quite a bit of nalu fluff :3 I'm going to try updating either every week or every two weeks. It depends on how busy my schedule is. Please leave reviews and hearts I read every single one 3 Next chapter is going to be lit so be prepared. On that note enjoy! ^_^_

"So how come you need a map to find my base when you have no idea where Fairy Tail's base is in the first place?" Lucy questioned Natsu again for about the fifth time.

"I told ya already! I know this land better than anyone else so s'long you give me some details on the terrain I'll be able to find it," Natsu boasted, puffing his chest out a bit as they trekked through the forest. Even though it was a hassle walking through the trees and shrubbery that seemed keen on stabbing Lucy's ankles with every other step, the branches provided nice coverage from Alvarez's blazing sun.

But the soldier in front of her didn't seem to be fazed much by the heat, though his uniform wasn't as hot looking as his fellow comrades (but he was certainly the hottest of his comrades).

While all the others wore thick jackets to protect themselves, Natsu wore a black uniform like his comrades but his only had one sleeve. The outfit was tight fitting, just enough so to show off how muscular he was without it looking too small. His long white colored pants, at least she thought it was originally white, it looked more like a dirty beige to her now from being outside all day, was tucked into his black boots. And then there was the oddest part of his clothing…

"Why are you wearing a scarf?" Lucy asked, reaching up to touch the fabric to see if it was as soft as it looked. She never got a chance to find out because he playfully swatted her hand away.

"Because I am!" he huffed, rolling his eyes at her.

"But isn't it too hot to be wearing it?" the nurse kept prodding him for answers. "It's weird wearing scarves in the middle of summer."

"Well that bow in your hair is weird!" he shot back at her with a smirk.

"Is not!"

"Is too, weirdo!"

"I am not a weirdo!" she pouted at him, her nose scrunching up.

"Yeah? Then why are you making such an ugly face?" Natsu snickered as Lucy banged her tiny fists on his arm with a bright red face and yelled and lectured him about how he should treat her. Once her rant was over, she calmed down considerably, that is until he spoke again. "But that tiny ribbon on the side of your head is weird. I've never seen anyone have a hair style like that before," he tugged on the tail of the bow, accidentally causing the ribbon to unwind and let Lucy's hair fall.

"Hey! Gimme that!" Lucy snatched the ribbon out of his hand, not noticing the slight blush that Natsu's cheeks got when her hair fell against her face in long waves. "Geez now my hair doesn't look as good now," she continued without missing a beat, tying the ribbon back into her hair without the aid of a mirror to guide her.

Natsu blinked at her slowly, the redness in his cheeks having disappeared. "You are lost in enemy territory…and you are worried about your hair?" the man laughed outright at her. "You really are a weirdo!"

 **xxxxx**

"How much farther? My feet hurt," Lucy went back to complaining again. Causing the pink haired man to roll his eyes at her.

"There's a giant gash in my stomach but you don't hear me complain'n!" he retorted, rolling his eyes at her. "But to answer yer question my base is coming up so just follow my lead." And with that, Natsu took a hold of her wrists, seizing up her medical bag with his other hand.

"Hey!" she barked at him, trying to squirm out of his grasp but his grip was like steel. "Let go of me!"

"Outta the way! Move it people comin' through!" Natsu yelled out, ignoring his savior's protests as he dragged her up to a looming fence. "Open the gates will ya Jackal? If they don't open in the next two seconds I'm going to pound you into the ground!" Within seconds the gate was opened, Natsu striding right in with Lucy following helplessly behind.

"Captain, you're back!" a couple of men shouted who Natsu ignored as he kept walking.

"And with a pretty little prize by the looks of it," Jackal sneered, his sharp teeth glinting as he eyed Lucy up and down hungrily. The look soon disappeared when Natsu's fist rammed right into it.

"Stop staring at her, she's mine!" he growled, his eyes burning as he glared at everyone around them who all shrank back in fear. "Nobody touches her but me? Got it?" A few "Yes Sirs" were uttered as Natsu put his hand on the small of Lucy's back, gently guiding her to the other side of the camp.

He led them to a rather large cabin looking building which she later learned was all his own. It had two rather spacious rooms, one which had a bed, couch, table and other homely necessities while the other was a large bathroom. It even had TWO showers!

"Well here we are. Home sweet home…kinda," chuckled Natsu as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "It's pretty late so I'll look into finding a map in the morning," he pointed out the door on the right side of the room. "That's the bathroom, you can use it to wash up. It even has hot water."

Lucy's entire face lit up at the sound of having a nice, long, hot shower. A bath would have been better but she wasn't about to complain. "Thanks, I'll do that now," she said, giving him a quick smile before going to the showers.

 **XXXXX**

"Ahhh…." Lucy moaned as she stepped under the hot rain of water, running her hands through her hair. "This feels so nice…" she stopped speaking when she heard the door open again. "Natsu?" she called out to make sure it was only him.

"Yeah?" he called back as Lucy heard some more shuffling from just outside her shower.

"What are you doing?" she asked, putting some soap into her hair.

"What do ya think I'm doin? I'm taking a shower!" came his indignant reply.

"But I'm taking one right now!" Lucy squeaked, her cheeks heating up and it wasn't from how steamy the room was becoming.

"Well duh that's why I'm using the shower next to the one you are in," Lucy could practically see Natsu rolling his eyes at her by the tone of his voice. "But I guess it is like we are taking a shower together, hehe," his snickered response make her blush even more.

"N-Natsu!" she shrieked, only to be met with him cackling at her reaction.

"You are way too fun to mess with," Natsu said once his laughter died off. "I might actually miss you when I have to bring ya back to your base…maybe I should just keep ya to myself!"

"No way, you promised me already! That would just be mean," Lucy whined, rinsing the soap out of her hair.

"Relax Luigi, I may be a lot of things but a liar ain't one of 'em."

"It's Lucy!" She yelled at him again, reaching for the bar of soap only to find that her shower didn't have one. "Natsu? I'm out of soap…."

"Here, you can use mine," he replied, putting his hands on top of the wall of the shower since the two were connected like bathroom stalls.

"What do you think you are doing? Don't look at me I'm naked!" Lucy quickly covered herself with her arms even though he hadn't even peeked over the stall yet.

Natsu's irritated huff could be heard in the other shower. "How else am I supposed to give it to you?"

Lucy bit her lip, hugging her arms around her chest. "Just…keep your eyes closed. If you even so much as THINK of peeping you are going to regret it," she threatened.

"Yeah yeah, my eyes are closed," Natsu pulled himself up and with blind eyes put his hand into the shower, lowering himself once she snatched the soap away. "There was that so hard?" he teased her.

The blonde snorted, shaking her head as she quickly lathered the soap into her skin, rubbing away the dirt and grime from the day. "Oh hush you." Finishing with her shower, Lucy got out before Natsu was finished and wrapped a towel around herself, wringing her wet hair out.

She was just going to put on the clothes she had been wearing when she saw that Natsu had already laid out one of his tee shirts along with some boy shorts for her. Figuring nothing bad would come of it, she slipped on his clothes. His shirt was big enough so it fit just right around her bust area but was big on her everywhere else.

Taking her ribbon she had left on the sink, she wadded her hair up so it wouldn't keep dripping down her back as she walked back into the other room.

While waiting for Natsu to finish washing up she snooped around his room. She didn't consider it _snooping,_ she was just looking around at his things that were on his desk and tables. It was like they were begging to be looked at and picked up!

She noticed he didn't have a single picture in his room which she thought was a little sad. There were no smiling parents, siblings or even a girlfriend to be found.

Did he have family and friends back home? Did he leave anyone behind to join the war? All of these similar thoughts buzzed around in her head as she continued searching for clues about the pink haired soldier's life. Sadly, Natsu came out of the shower before she could do anymore more snooping.

His hair was still damp from the shower when he came out and he didn't wear a shirt, showing off his rock hard abs which Lucy felt her gaze kept traveling to. If he noticed he didn't comment on it. But being shirtless also brought to light the jagged stitches across his chest, the ones she expertly threaded earlier that day. She had to pat herself on the back, she did a really nice job.

"You can take my bed," he pointed to the piece of furniture, "I'll take the couch," he said, promptly flopping down onto the couch after grabbing a pillow for himself. "You don't need anything else do ya?"

"No, I'm good, thank you," she then quickly added, "But let me tape some fresh gauze over your stitches." Finding her medical bag resting on top of the wooden table in the center of the room, she unzipped a side pocket, pulling out the desired materials.

The nurse forced Natsu to sit down on the couch as she carefully changed his bandages, her brows furrowed with concentration. The task was easy, very simple, yet she still found herself being extra careful to make it perfect. "There, that should to do it," she cleared him once she finished and put away her supplies before walking over to his bed.

Sliding onto the soft mattress, she pulled the covers up to her chin, resting on her side with her hands tucked underneath her ear. "Natsu?" she turned her gaze to him, seeing one of his eyes open when she called out to him.

Natsu stared up at the ceiling for a moment before craning his head back to look at her. "What's up Luce?" he asked, his black, slanted eyes meeting her big chocolate brown ones.

Lucy couldn't help but her eyes to widen slightly at the nickname. She hadn't ever had a nickname before. It was actually kind of nice even if she had only just met the guy. "Good night, Natsu," she smiled at him gently which in turn made the soldier's cheeks become lightly dusted with pink.

Natsu mumbled a quick "night" before rolling over to face away from her so she wouldn't catch sight of his blush in case she hadn't already noticed.

Rolling over to her other side, Lucy couldn't help but feel safe even though she was in the middle of the enemy's camp. But there was something about being with Natsu that made her feel like she didn't need to worry at all. He would protect her. She was sure of it. And with those thoughts swirling through her head. She was able to fall asleep quickly that night.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning as sunlight filtered into the room through the two windows (which she assumed were bulletproof) at the front of the cabin. It took the blonde medic about a second to remember where she was. She was in Natsu's bed in the middle of her enemy's camp. Taking in the room, she noticed that the said pinkette wasn't there which she should have noticed right away due to the absence of his loud voice. When she first met him he was a bit more quiet and composed but in the end he really was not the scary and stern captain he wanted his soldiers to see him as. Instead he was just a big dork, but a rather cute dork she had to admit.

Since he was gone, Lucy took the time to slid out of bed and neatly fold the blankets and then folded the blankets strewn across the couch. She tidied up a few more things in his little house because it was the least that she could do for him after all that he had done for her already even if she had saved his life.

"Come on Lucy, stop thinking about him," the blonde scolded herself lightly. This wasn't the time to be thinking about boys, she had to get back to camp! With new resolve, Lucy went into Natsu's two showered bathroom to grab her medic uniform and changed back into that. She knew that it probably smelled but there was no way she was going to walk out in Natsu's clothes. Her blonde locks had dried completely over night from her shower but she still tied it up into a high pony tail.

After finishing all of that and Natsu still not having returned, Lucy decided to venture out into the camp. Her medical bag was running low on supplies, especially bandages after having to use many to stop Natsu from bleeding to death. Maybe she could sneak into the medical tent and grab some more before Natsu even got back. The only problem with that plan was that she had no idea where the medical bunker was. Oh, and also the fact that someone might see her emblem of Fiore and kill her on the spot.

"Well, let's hope that the building is labeled!" Lucy chirped optimistically. She also couldn't forget that Natsu threatened to kill anyone who touched her. With a determination lighting up her brown eyes, she marched out of the house…only to be stopped right away before she even stepped three feet away from the house.

"Where do you think you're going blondie?" a man sneered, swiping his tongue over his fang like teeth hungrily. He moved to stand in front of her, uncomfortably close.

"I'm doing something for Natsu before he gets back," Lucy answered without missing a beat, staring back at the blonde haired man with a steely gaze. She recognized this man from yesterday, she thought Natsu called him Jackal, and he did kind of look like one with the way his hair spiked up into two points which resembled ears.

"Is that so?" Jackal quirked up an eyebrow, giving her a look that showed he didn't believe her one bit. "And it's Captain Dragneel to you. No one gets to call the Captain by his first name, only the Emperor does."

Lucy was ready to bit back with a sharp reply when she fully comprehended his words. Dragneel was the last name of the emperor. She knew from her studies that the only family left the emperor had was a younger brother. "Natsu is the Prince of Alvarez?!" the medic couldn't help but shout out, her jaw dropping to the floor. As if her life couldn't get any crazier.

"Yeah, you mean he didn't even tell you?" Jackal doubled over laughing. "Looks like he really just is keeping you as his plaything," he suddenly stopped laughing. "But the Captain can learn to share his toys with us sometimes," he whispered in her ear, swiping his tongue over her ear. Shivering in disgust, Lucy tried to pull away only for Jackal to grip her wrist tightly. He leaned his head towards her pale neck. "Don't worry, I won't make it hurt too much," he purred. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, Lucy raced through different escape plans through her head but before any of those could be implemented a force like a hurricane ripped him away from her.

"What did I say about touching her?" Natsu stood over the cowering man, his eyes gleaming with anger, looking ready to pound the guy into smitherines. The look on the Captain's face was enough to make anyone want to crawl into a hole and die, that is if they even received that mercy.

"T-to not touch her," Jackal whimpered pathetically.

"Then why did I see your hands on her?" Natsu growled, while doing so gently grabbing Lucy's wrist and tugging him behind her.

"I'm sorry Captain!" Jackal yelped out.

"It's too late for sorry," Natsu hissed, leaning in closer and gripping the collar of his shirt. "You have 1.5 seconds to get out of my sight before I kill you right now." The lower ranked soldier did not waste any time to scramble to his feet and take off. Once he was gone, the hard look disappeared from Natsu's face as he turned back to Lucy. "Are you all right?"

"Dragneel?" she questioned instead. She had a feeling that Jackal was a lot of things but that he wasn't lying about this.

"Yeah, I didn't mean to hide it from you but I also didn't want to scare you off," Natsu shrugged it off. "It's not like it's a big deal anyways."

"Not a big deal?" Lucy gaped at him like a fish. "You are the prince of a country, the country that my country is currently at war with!"

"Yeah, see? No big deal."

"You are so impossible!"

"Nah, you're just a weirdo."

"Would you stop calling me a weirdo!"

"Hehe, but it gets you all riled up!" Natsu laughed, warning him a glare from his blonde haired friend. "So what were you doing out here anyways?"

"I needed some more medical supplies," Lucy held up her bag to prove it. "I needed more bandages."

"Well why didn't you tell me that earlier?" Natsu snorted and handed her three rolls of bandages. "I left to get you some."

"Wow, thanks," Lucy found her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink but she didn't know why.

"No problem!" Natsu grinned at her and steered her back to his bunker.

"Wait, aren't we going to go now?" Lucy asked in confusion.

Natsu snorted at her. "Leave in broad daylight? No way, we are going to leave in the middle of the night that way no one will even notice we're gone."

"But won't someone notice that the prince is gone?" she questioned.

"I'm only the Prince, not the Emperor and I make it very clear that they leave me alone," he smirked, cracking his knuckles.

"By threatening to beat them up?"

"Works every time!"

"And how far does that get you in life?"

"No one bothers me," Natsu pointed out with a shrug.

"Then why bother with me?" Lucy asked, causing the soldier to stiffen as his cheeks matched the color of his hair. She noticed how he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away.

Because you saved my life. I'm paying back the favor, that's all," he huffed. "And you aren't so bad to have around. It's fun to mess with you."

"Hey!" Lucy stuck her tongue out at him childishly but it was the best she could do since she didn't have a comeback. "I'm not here just for you to mess with!"

"That's not the only reason," Natsu stared at her, his intense gaze pulling her in. "You are fun to be around too, Luce." Luce. She had never had a nickname before.

Giving him a tiny smile she said, "It's fun being around you too Natsu." Before things could become too awkward, Lucy cleared her throat. "So what do we do until night fall?"

"I've got an idea or two," Natsu lead her back into his room as something scratched at the window. "Happy!" his eyes lit up as he hurried over to the window and flung it open, allowing a bright blue cat with a green bandana tied around his neck to hop in. "Did you bring me anything?" The cat in response meowed once in affirmation and lifted his neck so that Natsu could untie the rolled up piece of paper.

"Why is your cat blue?" Lucy asked in shock, not even bothering to ask if this cat was like a carrier pidgin and delivered messages.

"Because he's a cat!" Natsu answered like it were obvious.

"Cat's aren't blue…"

"But Happy's a cat and he's blue!"

"You named him happy?"

"Well what else was I supposed t'name him?!"

"Maybe something normal?"

"I don't think I know what normal is anymore," Lucy muttered to herself but couldn't help but smile. Despite how crazy her life had become in the past day, she couldn't help to admit that it was a lot more fun.


	5. Chapter 5

For the rest of the day, Lucy and Natsu poured themselves into looking at the map that Natsu had managed to snatch up from the war planning room. With Natsu's knowledge of the land and Lucy describing the area of her camp, the two had managed to figure out where Ishgar's camp was and the best route to get there without being caught by either side.

"We'll leave tonight," Natsu told her firmly, seeming confident that he could get her back to her camp in the dark but even so, it would be at least a day's walk. If everything went right they should arrive in two day's morning, including getting some sleep outside, much to Lucy's dismay. She supposed she would have to make some sacrifices to get home, like waking up with dirt and bugs in her hair

"Got it," Lucy nodded, her fingers lazily stroking through Happy's soft fur which elicited happy purs and meows from the cat.

"I still can't believe it," Natsu spoke up, staring at her in bewilderment, making Lucy's insides squirm.

"Can't believe what?" she asked, her fingers stilling as she waited for a response.

"That Happy likes you," he shifted his green eyes down to his cat.

"Why wouldn't he like me?" the blonde scoffed, narrowing her eyes at him in annoyance.

Natsu looked back up at her, brushing his bangs out from his eyes. "Happy doesn't like anyone 'cept for me," he jutted his thumb at his chest as if to prove it. "Usually anyone that tries to get near him he scratches and bites at, even the people who he delivers messages to at times. But…I guess yer different Luce."

Something about how he said she was different made her cheeks pink slightly. He didn't say it in his usual teasing tone or in that way that he did when he was trying to rile her up. His eyes seemed to soften when he said that. Or maybe that was just the lighting in the room.

"T-thanks I guess," Lucy cursed herself for stuttering. It wasn't like she was one to get nervous around guys but she was in a high stress situation so she supposed stuttering a little was acceptable.

Natsu gave her a cheeky smile, showing off his fanged teeth. "You're welcome I guess then," he laughed lightly and plopped onto the couch. "Try and get some sleep," he said, even though it was late afternoon. "I'll wake you up when we have to go," he assured her.

"All right," she nodded, climbing into his bed even though she wasn't tired. Hopefully at the least she could doze off for a while. She closed her eyes, turning on her side to face the wall and felt the mattress dip slightly as Happy lightly hopped on. He curled up into a ball against her back, his tail covering his face. A smile formed on the medic's lips as she gave the cat an affectionate pet before attempting to get some sleep.

Much to her surprise, Lucy found herself being shaken awake by Natsu. "Lucy...Lucy!" he shook her shoulder a bit roughly, his face so close to hers that their noses almost touched. "It's time to get moving!" he whispered, his breath warm against her skin. Her tired, chocolate brown eyes blinked lazily up at him. It was pitch black in the room but her eyes were slowly beginning to adjust and make out the features of his face. His sharp jaw line, the shape of his slanted eyes, and-

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled in a whisper at her again, forcing her to snap her eyes all the way open and her body to lurch forward, their head colliding. "Ow...geez you wake up really weird. You wake up ready to fight….just like me! But I'm always ready to fight," he laughed before remembering what they had to do and becoming serious. "We have to hurry, the guard change is happening in a few minutes so while they are distracted..." he used his hands to mimic his plan. "We slip right out."

"Sounds simple enough, as long as now one sees us and guns us down," Lucy laughed nervously. Even though she was a combat medic it wasn't like she was trained IN combat like Natsu or her friends Erza and Gray.

"Exactly! Now get off your butt and get moving," Natsu teased, grabbing her medic bag for her and slung a small bag of supplies over his bag. Lucy threw back the covers and shoved her feet into her scuffed up black combat boots. She hopped up to her feet after and reached for her bag only for Natsu to keep it out of reach.

Lucy scowled at him impatiently. "You said we have to leave soon so just give me my bag."

Natsu shook his head. "It will slow you down. I'm faster than you are?"

"How would you know?" Lucy crossed her arms under her chest stubbornly.

"Because I just know these things," he rolled his eyes at her and headed for the door. Silently he opened up the door and lead her around the back of the camp to the south entrance where there were typically less people. Lucy followed him as stealthily as she could, almost running into him when he held up a hand as he suddenly halted. She watched his eyes pierce through the darkness, remaining as still as a statue. The blonde began wondered how long they were going to stand there when he suddenly whispered a harsh "Now!" and took off towards the gates.

"Damn, he really is fast," Lucy thought, pumping her legs to catch up with him. He seemed to slow down just slightly for her to be able to stay close to him. The short distance through the gates and to the forest seemed to take hours but in reality they were hidden in the foliage within seconds, both panting from the exertion and stress of it all. "At least...that part's...over," she wheezed, trying to suck more air into her lungs, hands on her knees

Natsu on the other hand already seemed to regain most of his oxygen. He was standing up straight and looked anxious to get moving. Once Lucy seemed ready he started walking off, causing the blonde to scurry after him to catch up. The two of them stayed in a comfortable silence with only occasional glances at the other. The sight must have been an odd one to see. A short, blonde haired, Fiore medic and the slightly taller Captain/Prince of Alvarez.

"What direction are we going in?" Lucy asked coyly, wondering if he actually knew where he was going considering he was not navigating with the aid of a compass or the map he stole.

"The direction of your camp," Natsu responded, not taking the bait.

"And what's the direction of my camp?" she continued prodding, finding fun in this simple act of bothering him. Unfortunately it didn't seem to bother him very much.

"Mainly North and then slightly to the west," Natsu's eyes slid over to her lazily but she was unable to read his expression. "Why do you ask?"

"Just checking that you are going in the right direction," Lucy smiled innocently, playing with a strand of her golden hair. Most of it was tied back so that it would not bother her during their journey but one strand managed to fall out and rest against her cheek.

"And how would you know if we weren't?" Natsu quirked up an eyebrow at her, seeming curious for her answer.

Lucy forced down a smile. "How would you know? You aren't using a compass?"

Natsu shook his head at her. "I asked first."

"And I want you to answer first."

"I know the direction my camp faces and which direction each gate faces. We left from the North gate so we are going North," he turned it back on her. "Now how do you know what direction we are going in Princess?"

"I told you I'm not a Princess!" The name slightly annoyed her but he seemed more entertained by her reaction so she continued, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of letting him know that he got to her.

"Yeah, well I'm a Prince so you better answer my question otherwise I might get too tired and want to go back to my bed at my camp" Natsu reminded her teasingly.. It seemed he said that when it was to his convenience. All of the other times during the day when she was trapped in his cabin and she called him that he always complained that he wish he wasn't. He wanted to be a regular soldier fighting for his country because he believed in what it stood for, not due to him wanting to protect the Emperor since he was his brother. When she asked if he believed in what his country's morals his face turned dark and he couldn't meet her gaze. He never gave her an answer but his reaction was clear enough.

"I use the stars," Lucy finally answered after a long moment of keeping her mouth shut. Her gaze lifted to the night sky above, a small smile tugging at her lips."When I was little my Mom would come into my bedroom before bed and after reading stories together, she would teach me about the stars. Mom would show me the different constellations, kind of like I showed you the other day. She would teach me how to find them, their names and what time of year I would be able to see them. Then she would tell me the stories of each constellation. What they meant. What they stood for," she took her eyes, turning them back to Natsu. He seemed to be listening intensely, for once serious as she talked. Seeing that he didn't seem very bored she continued.

"When I was a little older she taught me how to navigate with the stars. As long as I could see the stars I would never be lost and….I would never be alone," she whispered the last part, feeling the familiar prick behind her eyes whenever she spoke of her mother. Forcing herself to blink quickly and take a deep breath she put her bright smile back on. "That's how I know where we are going."

Natsu got quiet after that, like most people did after she spoke about her mom. She didn't tell him that her mother had passed but she felt that she did not need to. He seemed to know. Lucy let out a soft sigh, staring ahead of her at the dark landscape. "Sorry I rambled on like that," she told him softly.

"N-no don't be sorry!" Natsu quickly sputtered out, seeming a bit flustered. "I just...you looked so happy when you talked about the stars. Your eyes seemed to shine just as bright as them when you did," he rubbed the back of his neck. Since it was dark she was missed the faint blush on his cheeks. "Your Mom...she seemed nice...like you."

Lucy was speechless for a moment, probably making him think that he said the wrong thing until she smiled at him genuinely. Her hand tentatively reached for his, her small fingers wrapping around his large hand to give it a squeeze. "Thank you, Natsu," she whispered, fearing that the moment would be over if she spoke louder. "You're nice too."

Without warning she suddenly stopped walking, forcing him to stop as well. When he opened his mouth to speak she did not wait for him to utter a single word out. Instead she hugged him tightly, resting her head against his chest as she sought his comfort. She heard him suck in a ragged breath. It wasn't like they were friends for long. Lucy didn't know if they even WERE friends at all. Regretting her spur on the moment action, she moved to pull away and prepared her apology. Before any of that could be done Natsu's arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him, inviting her in.

His embrace was so warm, reminding her of the winter time when she would be reading a book in her apartment, curled up in one of her fuzzy blankets on the couch, with a steamy mug of hot chocolate with marshmellows. In the Winter time she would even move her couch so that it was closer to the fireplace so she was always nice and toasty. Natsu's hug felt even better than that.

Lucy wished that they could stay in that moment longer but knew they had to get moving. They couldn't afford any delays. That is why she gave him no resistance when he carefully unwrapped himself from her and her from him. Now apart he still didn't say anything. Giving her shoulder a squeeze he smiled at her. "Ready to keep going?" his voice spoke to her kindly.

Lucy held her chin up a little higher. "Ready," she agreed, beginning to walk and making him chase after her this time to keep up. The pair walked a bit closer together this time, going back to their silence, Lucy thinking of her mother, the stars, her friends back at camp and Natsu. She was so lost in thought that she missed the intense, almost grim look upon his face as they pushed ahead, each step taking them closer to Fiore's camp.

 **Hey Guys! I really hope you liked this chapter because I had so much fun writing it. As much as I would love to go to an update a week it's prob not going to happen with school and activities and I refuse to post a chapter until my beta reader has edited it since we came up with the story together. Please review and heart/follow this story and my other ones. I try to reply to as many as I can! Should I give shoutouts at the bottom of each chapter for people who review? Let me know! Also things are going down next chapter so be prepared hehehe.**

 **WAIT THERE"S MORE: I have a surprise for you all in store. It's in the making but I'll let you in on a hint. It's another Nalu story (ofc) but you guys are going to like this one. A LOT. Should I reveal more hints next chapter update?**

 **~CelestialSpiritQueen**


	6. Chapter 6

"Here we are," Natsu said with a flourish of his arms, being dramatic per usual. They were just at the edge of the forest tree line right before Fiore's camp. In comparison to Alvarez's camp, Fiore's did not seem as big or imposing. The walls were still too high to scale without being detected and there were guard rotations around the clock but the whole atmosphere felt lighter.

"I guess this is it," Lucy breathed out, staring ahead at her camp where all her friends were surely worried about her, unless they already presumed that she had died in the last attack. She hoped Levy and the other medics were able to keep up with all the injured soldiers while she was away. Turning back to the pink haired male, she gave him a bright smile. "I can't thank you enough for bringing me back to my camp. I'm the top medic here yet you still helped me out."

Natsu raised his hand, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey, you saved my life first," he reminded her with a knowing smile. His side still stung like a bitch when he moved wrong but with Lucy's skills he should heal up in no time. "This was the least I could do."

The blonde medic went against her better instincts which were screaming inside her head as she gave Natsu another tight hug, being careful of his wound. Just like last time he hesitated before wrapping his arms around her in return. "Goodbye Natsu," she murmured into his shoulder, knowing with his sensitive hearing that he could understand what she said.

"No need for any goodbyes just yet, Princess," Natsu smiled a little, confusing Lucy even more.

"What are you talking about? We're at my camp-What the hell are you doing?!" she shouted at him as he began walking straight up to the camp gate and forcing her to scamper after him. "They are going to keep you here as a prisoner if you don't run now!" she hissed as shouts from the guards could be heard in the distance as they caught sight of the two.

"You said your camp was attacked recently, yeah?" Natsu glanced over at her calmly. "I want to make sure you get there completely safe."

"But that means you will get caught!" Lucy stopped in her tracks and grabbing his hand, trying to get him to turn around. There was no way she was going to let that happen!

Natsu paused, craning his neck over his shoulder to look back at her as she kept trying to pull him away from the camp, with no success. "I know," he gave her a reassuring smile. "But I'll be ok, since I know that you will be safe."

"Natsu, you don't need to do this," Lucy practically shouted at him, tears welling in her eyes as three jeeps raced over in their direction. Time was running out, he had to leave now. Why was he sacrificing himself for her like this?

Natsu handed her back her medical bag which he had carried for her for the majority of the journey.. "Lucy," he replied seriously, an intense look in his dark eyes. This was one of the few times he actually used her name and not "Princess" or "Blondie" or even "Luigi." That's when she knew he was dead serious. "I _do_ need to do this." Without having time to answer, the three cars surrounded the two.

"Freeze! Don't either of you move!" a terrifying female voice came from the car in the middle. A woman hopped out of the driver's seat, her scarlet hair hanging in a beautiful curtain down her back as her dark eyes pierced through Natsu like daggers. Her uniform was Fiore's but a bit fancier to distinguish her as a Commander. She was one of Fiore's best soldiers there was and her reputation proved just that. And her assault rifle was aimed for a kill shot at Natsu's head. Lucy watched fearfully as the scarlet beauty's eyes went to her.

"L-Lucy?" the woman gasped out, her gun lowering a touch as the raven haired man beside her gasped as well. "You're alive!" she rejoiced, a smile forming on her lips momentarily before remembering her duty at hand. "Release our comrade," the Commander barked out, taking a step forward which signaled for the other soldiers to aim their guns at Natsu.

The Alvarez prince put his hands up in surrender, staring at the trained guns on him calmly. "She's all yours," he insisted, giving Lucy a nod for her to leave his side and go back to her companions. "I was just making sure she got back home safely."

Lucy hesitated, giving him one last look as she slowly forced her feet to move towards her friends. Once she stood behind Erza, more commands were given. "Capture him and bring him into custody!"

"Erza, wait!" Lucy grabbed onto her friend's arm, trying to reason with her as Gray, Gajeel and Elfman handcuffed Natsu roughly, the man not uttering a single complaint. "He's not a bad guy, I swear! He's been helping me this whole time. You have to let him go."

"I do not have to let him go," Erza snapped, turning her steely gaze on the young medic. "This is Natsu Dragneel, the Prince of Alvarez. He's dangerous and too important for me to just 'let go'. As much as I am grateful that he returned you home he is still the enemy."

"B-but he's injured," Lucy tried to come up with something, anything to help Natsu out. Her hope was dwindling as Natsu was shoved into the back of one of the jeeps and it seemed that he was refusing to look in their direction.

"Then you will be in charge of taking care of his injuries while he remains in our custody," Commander Scarlet ordered, her hawk eyes scanning the area in case there were any more surprises. "Do I make myself clear Heartfilia?"

Lucy lowered her head in submission. "Yes, Erza," she answered respectfully.

Her red haired friend placed a hand on her shoulder, finally giving her a smile. "We aren't going to kill him Lucy, but he might be the key to ending this war. I need you to understand this. We have lost too many people already," her eyes softened. "But for now, I'm just glad you are safe." Erza straightened and the soft look was gone from her expression. "Let's get moving soldiers! Bring Dragneel to our top security cell, I want two guards on him at all times."

Lucy probably would have kept standing there if Erza hadn't put a hand on her shoulder and steered her in the direction of one of the three cars, the one that Natsu wasn't in. She tried getting a last glimpse of Natsu but was unable to as she climbed into the passenger seat. Once everyone was situated, Erza gave a signal and the jeeps moved back inside the camp, the gates swiftly closing behind them.

"Are you in anyway hurt, Lucy?" Gray asked from the backseat, leaning forward. Most of the time he acted pretty serious but in reality he was a softy at heart and one of her closest friends.

"No, I'm fine," Lucy assured him and when he gave her a pointed look she sighed. "I'm not lying. Natsu protected me the entire time to make sure nothing happened to me." And now he was paying the price, bound in the back of a car like a worthless prisoner. Except he wasn't worthless. She understood why Erza was doing what she did, it was her job, yet at the same time all she wanted to do was help Natsu escape, even if he didn't want to.

Gray noticed her troubled gaze and gave her head a pat. "We're not going to beat and starve him for answers, Lucy. We aren't like Alvarez, you know that," he tried to lighten her mood. "If he tells us what we need to know we might even be able to let him go."

Feeling a little assured by this, Lucy gave her friend a soft smile. "Yeah, thanks Gray." There was a comfortable silence between the two until she spoke again. "What have I missed?"

"Nothing much, honestly," Gray went on to explain how many casualties that they had taken after the major attack and how the hospitals were swamped, especially with her not being there to help. Thankfully, they did not lose too many people and were currently working on minor repairs to reinforce the walls and trying to form a new strategy in defeating Alvarez's formidable army. "Now that we have the Emperor's brother, we might have the upper hand."

"Yeah, we might…" Lucy looked out the window, zoned out as she saw the familiar faces of her comrades passing by. She wondered if Natsu's soldiers were worried about him. Surely his brother was at the very least. Her thoughts drifted back to Jackal and Mard, remembering their cruel, malicious gazes, sending a shiver down her spine. She doubted those two cared much that their Captain was gone.

Within minutes they arrived at the area they parked their vehicles and stepped out. Lucy caught a glimpse of Erza and Gajeel along with a few others leading Natsu off presumably towards the cells. They hadn't had to use them yet but there was a first for everything.

She wanted to follow them but after much prompting from Gray, Lucy agreed that resting before seeing Natsu again was the best course of action. Even if she figured Gray was mainly saying that so that it would give them a chance to interrogate the prince alone. Sighing heavily, the blonde trudged back to the room she shared with Levy and Wendy. Neither of the two small girls were there when she arrived so she presumed they were helping out in the makeshift hospital.

In the last attack, Alvarez had rained bombs down on their hospital, almost completely destroying it. Lucy and the others had spent hours, desperately trying to salvage any supplies that were still useable and rescue any patients who were trapped in the rumble. There weren't many survivors that day. Lucy could never understand how people could be so cruel as to go out of their way to kill innocent people who were unable to defend for themselves. Those people who perished that day never deserved what happened to them and that's why Ishgar refused to surrender. There was no way that hate would ever win against love.

Ridding the upsetting thoughts away, Lucy decided to enjoy the rare privacy she had by taking the time to bathe in a long, steamy shower. Baths were always the better option but it was war, she couldn't afford to be picky. One great thing about being back at her camp was that she had all her spare clothes with her so she no longer had to keep wearing the same uniform she had been wearing for four days. Since they all were practically identical, Lucy grabbed whichever one was on the top and brought it into the bathroom with her. Checking that she had her towel with her and other shower necessities, she stripped down and stepped into the shower. Warm droplets rained down from above, soaking her hair and turning it into an almost light brown color as it soaked up the water. She just stood there for a few minutes, relishing in the feeling of being warm and clean.

" _This shower is nowhere near as nice as Natsu's_ ," Lucy couldn't help but think. Once she realized what she was thinking, heat began creeping onto her cheeks as more thoughts of her savior entered her mind. " _Of course his shower is nicer he's a prince!_ " she scolded herself. His bathroom had been huge with two showers, and when he came waltzing in without a shirt on...his chest was so toned, even for a soldier of his caliber. A loud groan of frustration erupted from Lucy. At this rate she was going to go crazy if she didn't stop thinking about that pink haired idiot. After all, he was just returning a favor, it's not like it actually meant anything. " _But he hugged you, twice_ ," came her very unhelpful conscience.

"Yeah, but it meant nothing. It was just a spur of the moment thing," Lucy argued back to herself. Her shower slightly soured now, she decided to just get out. Turning off the faucet, the medic grabbed her towel off of the door knob and dried herself off before she changed into her clean clothes. By the time she brushed her hair and cleaned up the bathroom, Levy and Wendy were still not back. Having nothing better to do (and totally not because the waiting was killing her) Lucy decided to go check on Natsu. It was about time that his bandages should be changed. If everything healed right she could take out his stitches in the next few days.

The blonde grabbed her medical bag that she had thrown haphazardly on her bed and made sure she had what she needed to treat Natsu's injury. Everything was in line so she slung the bag over her shoulder, taking off in the direction of where Natsu would be.

* * *

 **AN: Apologies for the long wait I'll try to get back to updating more frequently. Thanks to everyone who is still keeping up with the story. Preparing for college along with just regular school takes a lot of time and motivation. Lemme know what you think so far, next chapter will definitely have more nalu moments ;) ~CelestialSpiritQueen**


	7. Chapter 7

"Let me in," Lucy demanded boldly, planting her right hand on her hip while the other hung at her side, her fingers clutched tightly against the handle of her medical bag in an attempt to appear more confident than she was as she stared down the man blocking her path. The dark haired guard named Rogue shifted his weight uncomfortably, glancing over his shoulder briefly before answering.

"Commander Scarlet gave us strict instructions not allow anyone to converse with the prisoner until she gave further instructions," the soldier relayed his orders dutifully.

Unfortunately for him it took a lot more than a simple 'no' to deter Lucy Heartfellia from getting what she wanted. The blonde huffed, adding an eye roll into the mix to convey her impatience. "No one will be able to interrogate him if he's dead," she snapped, causing Rogue to whip out his gun in .25 seconds while sweeping his eyes around the room, searching for danger.

"At ease, Soldier," Lucy struggled to suppress a chuckle as the man lowered his gun to his side slowly but not sheathing it. "The prisoner is wounded and requires medical attention. His bandages need replacing after I inspect the wound to ensure that it is healing properly. If I don't then the wound can get infected, leading to the infectious agents to release toxins into the surrounding tissue which would lead to the skin becoming inflamed as the body tries to fight off the harmful invaders. It can then lead to pus, fatigue, fever, chills, coughing, runny nose, trouble sleeping and ultimately death.

"So by all means, prevent me from continuing on with my job by allowing a man with useful information to die from a preventable disease. Otherwise, you will be the one explaining to Commander Erza why her best lead to defeating Zeref is dead. I will not be held responsible when virus and bacteria take control over a host of cells and-"

"All right all right, I'll let you in," Rogue interrupted, put off by her endless stream of word vomit involving medical information that made no sense to him.

Lucy smiled up at him too brightly. "Thank you," she nodded, slipping past him through the door that lead to a hallway of cells. The majority of them were empty since Mavis didn't believe in keeping prisoners just to torture them. Once she had squeezed out all the information from them like a lemon she ordered a squad to bring them to the war's established No Man's Land and released them so they could find their way back to their camp on their own.

The very last cell at the end of the hallway was the only one currently occupied. Expecting for the room to be silent, Lucy was off put by a man's cheerful chatter. Narrowing her eyes, she couldn't place the voice until she spotted a mess of blonde hair on top of a man who was standing in front of the holding cell. He was blocking her view of Natsu but from the lack of responses she heard from the said soldier she could imagine his annoyed expression. Lucy didn't understand what Sting was conversing with Natsu about but was able to decipher some of his confusing jargon.

"I can't believe it!..Your right hook is incredibly powerful…you can do it just as strong with your left hand?...I just can't believe I'm talking to _the_ Salamander!"

"Yeah yeah, thanks," muttered a very disinterested Natsu, but when his sensitive ears picked up the sound of her footsteps, he craned his neck around Sting to catch a glimpse of the pretty blonde.

"Lucy!" he exclaimed, perking up. Even his green eyes the color of august leaves brightened at the sight of her. "You came to pay me a visit, eh?" he grinned that cheesy smile of his. It was unbelievable, here he was trapped in the enemy camp's prison with a smile on his face as if his friend came to visit him at home.

Instead of saying any of that, Lucy smirked at him. "Who else was going to change your bandages?" the medic questioned sassily, quirking up a blonde eyebrow.

"So you don't have any other medics here that could have?" Natsu countered slyly.

"I'm the medic who stitched you up so it's best if I continue with your healing process," she quickly retorted, dropping down to her knees to shuffle through her medical bag while Sting worked on unlocking the cell door. Thankfully her hair was long enough to hide her flushed cheeks. Once the door was open, Lucy slipped inside with the appropriate tools in hand, Sting closing the cell behind her in case Natsu had any intentions of escaping. The odds that he would attempt to escape were low considering he had turned himself in.

"Sting, can you give me some privacy with my patient? I can't focus as well with you breathing down my neck." the blonde asked in a firm voice, refusing to call Natsu a prisoner.

Upon seeing the reluctance the younger soldier held with him, Natsu spoke up, saving her from coming up with another excuse. "If I give you my autograph will ya leave us alone?"

And that is how the two ended up alone in a cell together with his shirt off. Neither one of them spoke as Lucy used a pair of medical scissors to cut the old bandages away. She peeled the soiled cloth from his body, purposefully keeping her gaze at the task at hand and not his glorious set of chest and abdominal muscles her fingers ached to touch.

The medic inhaled slowly through her nose, shooing away the pesky thoughts that infiltrated into her mind and returned her focus back to his wound. None of his stitches had broken, thankfully, so all she had to do was apply new bandages.

Halfway through binding them around his torso was when words finally escaped through her frowning lips. "Why?" she thought his eyes snapped down to her face when in reality he had been watching her the entire time.

"That's a pretty broad question there, Princess," he used to nickname to lighten the heavy air between them.

"Why would you turn yourself in?" Lucy demanded, her hands stilling on their work as they began to tremble, yet not once did she tear away from his gaze. "Why would you ever do that to yourself?!"

Natsu's expression appeared to soften seeing her so distressed, and over him of all people. "You told me that your camp had been attacked recently. I wanted to make sure ya got there safely," he explained in a calm voice, reaching out and taking her shaking hands in his. The bandages fell out of her hands, rolling on the floor and unwinding until it halted a few inches away from them when it lost momentum.

"Why would you do that for me?" Lucy's voice caught in her throat slightly and the backs of her eyes began to burn.

"I didn't want to see you get hurt."

"But why _me_?"

A pause interrupted the conversation as the soldier thought over his next answer carefully. "If you had gotten hurt I woulda never forgiven myself."

His words crumbled the damn that had been holding back her tears that now trickled down her flushed cheeks. "You idiot! What if they had hurt you?!"

Seeing her crying flustered the typically unruffled man. "H-hey hey! Don't cry! Nothin happened so you can't worry about the 'ifs'. Ya know, someone important to me said something pretty smart when I was young. He said _'Speak of your future, and that shall become your will to live.'_ For a long time I had no idea what the hell that even meant. I forgot about it, until I met you."

"Until you met me?" Lucy repeated in a soft voice, her eyes lowering to her lap. "Why would I have made you remember such a thing?"

"To be honest, I didn't know why it did. I blamed it on the near death experience," Natsu released her hands to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. "But after getting to know ya, I think I got it figured out."

"Oh yeah? Enlighten me."

Natsu made a sound that sounded almost like a snort of amusement. "You are so fearless in everything you do. You risk your life to help others no matter who they are. Fuck, you found me dying in the middle of nowhere, knew I was an enemy and still patched me up," his eyes narrowed as an intense look shadowed his face, underlying emotions swirling through his eyes that she couldn't decipher. "I had to protect that light from being extinguished."

"But I'm only a medic, one who is your enemy," Lucy muttered weakly.

"No. You aren't just a doctor…you're Lucy," Natsu smiled at her brightly, the strange expression dissipating from his features. Those simple words allowed the blonde to pause in her sniffling, mulling over his statement. Her cream colored hand reached out to grab his.

"I'll find a way to get you out of here, I promise," Lucy vowed.

In response, Natsu ran his calloused thumb across her contrasting smooth, unmarred skin. His tan skin held scars all over his body, some pale and soon to be forgotten while other flashed red and angry on the surface. "Don't worry about me," he murmured, resting his forehead against hers and closing his eyes contently.

"I'm glad just knowing that you're safe," he murmured. Lucy's eyes widened at his statement before a wave of calm washed over her. Similar to him her own eye lids fell closed and the pair stayed like that for a long time until Sting came back to check on them. When he saw them close together like that he made a noise, alerting the two of his presence. Natsu abruptly stood up and started yelling at his fan who in turn cowered away and let out a stream of apologies from his mouth. In a matter of seconds the blonde had rushed out and Natsu was grumbling unhappily. The whole scene was ridiculous and a bubble of laughter burst from Lucy's lips.

"Oi! What are you laughing at?" Natsu grumbled, sitting back down in his spot next to her.

"Nothing," she responded with a bright smile, another giggle she tried to suppress escaping.

"Whatever you say, Weirdo," the pink haired man rolled his eyes at her in a playful manner.

"I'm not a weirdo!" Lucy huffed, getting riled up again.

"Sure you aren't," Natsu chuckled as she began to argue with him light heartedly. It didn't matter to him because he knew she was happy again and that's all that mattered.

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 **AN: Long time no see aye? Sorry you guys don't want my excuses but ill try to update sooner than three months at a time. I was going to do one long chap but I didn't like the choppy transition so it will be split up into two. Second part is written but has to be worked on and edited. Hope you like this chapter! ~CelestialSpiritQueen**


	8. Chapter 8

Natsu couldn't say that he had been interrogated before by an enemy with a militia of over one hundred thousand but he had a pretty good idea about what would happen. After all, he had watched his fair share of action movies. He knew they would want him to give up valuable secrets that his brother confided with him, maybe beat the shit out of him or tie him up or starve him until he blurted out the precious information. If they thought that would work on him, well they had to try a lot harder than that since it wasn't anything he hadn't dealt with previously. Memories of standing beside a smiling red haired man morphed into cold eyes and greasy hair.

" _Get off the ground, brat," the man with cold eyes barked at a younger Natsu who was curled up on the ground._

" _No more, please, no more training," the small boy whimpered, seeming to want to curl into himself so much that he would disappear._

" _I said get up!" the man roared, aiming a sharp kick to his side. A yelp escaped from Natsu's cracked lips along with a few tears that ran down his bruised cheeks, dripping down onto the dusty ground. When the water hit the ground the dehydrated soil sucked up the moisture, changing the color from a light tan to a darker brown._

 _Finally the small child pressed his palms against the ground, using the support to aid him in pushing his battered body back into a vertical position. The brute of a man who stood before him menacingly gave him a glare that would make any grown man tremble in his socks._

" _Brat…is it raining?" he growled out between clenched teeth._

" _W-what?" Natsu sniffled, tilting his head up so that he could look at him._

" _I asked you…is it raining?" The monster of a man repeated in a quieter tone that made Natsu's heart skip a beat and a shiver run down his face. Swallowing thickly he shook his head._

" _No sir," he answered aloud while struggling to remain eye contact._

" _Then that must mean those are tears. Am I wrong?"_

" _No…Sir."_

" _Do you remember what my rule is?"_

" _Yes, Sir."_

" _What is it?"_

" _Tears are a sign of weakness reserved only for women and infants," Natsu recited from memory immediately._

" _So why are you crying?"_

 _For the first time, Natsu clenched his fists as he tried to defend himself. "I haven't had a break all day and we've been training for hours."_

" _Your point?"_

 _He swallowed thickly again but there wasn't much saliva to swallow since he was in desperate need of a drink. "I need a break, Sir."_

" _Was that a demand?" The older man immediately snapped as his eyes went from cold ember to raging flames._

" _No! Well kinda…I mean-" he began to fumble over his words as he grew more afraid of the consequences he was going to face. The beast before him remained quiet for a long stretch of time that felt like hours to Natsu. He could deal with his 'trainer' yelling obscenities about how useless he was. This silent man made sweat pore out of his clammy skin like a waterfall._

" _You will never speak out against me ever again," was his reply, allowing Natsu a short moment of reprieve to imagine that he wouldn't be punished for speaking his thoughts. The spell was broken at the next words that stilled the entire world. "I'll make sure you don't…"_

The harsh clang of a door being slammed shut in the distance jolted Natsu out of his thoughts, but even as the images faded the feelings of pain and dread resided in his chest, creating an uncomfortable weight. On the outside the soldier remained composed, appearing almost bored as he sat in his crummy cell. Natsu wished that Lucy was with him to keep him company. She was easy to talk to, not to mention extremely fun to annoy. No one at his camp would ever joke around with him. His facade as the Emperor's cold blooded little brother protected him from his evil comrades but that didn't leave room for friends. It didn't matter, he never wanted to be close with any of his brother's disciples. Many of them were sick and twisted, which was why they served Zeref loyally.

Honestly, Natsu could not wait for the war to be over so that he could get far away from those monsters as possible. Unfortunately for him, his brother was stubborn and refused to end this pointless war. He wondered if anyone remembered why the war was declared in the first place, it hardly seemed to matter anymore. The only reason he stayed was to protect his stupid brother, even if he was a bastard. He was still the only family he had left in this world.

The quiet steps of someone approaching snapped him out of his less than pleasant thoughts. His enhanced hearing was able to pick up on that the person heading his way was small, or at least didn't weigh very much. Presumably a woman. He pictured a fierce looking woman with hair pulled tightly back into a bun with not a single hair out of place with a severe face that had no smile lines marring her cold face.

"Who the hell are you?" Natsu blurted out rudely, his eyes widening at the woman who stood before him. "I don't think this is a place for kids."

The girl who stood in front of his caged cell merely giggled at his words, not seeming bothered by him at all. That was a surprise since he usually got under people's skin regardless if he was trying or not.

"I can assure you that I am no child," the (supposed) woman spoke in an airy voice that still commanded respect. From her manner of speaking he concluded that she was smart, or at least liked to keep up a facade that she was intelligent with her more proper manner of speaking.

Natsu quirked an eyebrow at her curiously. "You look like you're fourteen."

"I am most certainly well past that age. My name is Mavis Vermillion," the blonde haired woman introduced herself, the name sounding slightly familiar. "I am the leader of Fairy Tail."

Natsu stared at her blankly for another moment before pounding his fist into his other hand. "You're my brother's ex-girlfriend! That's why you sounded familiar."

He watched the Commander's eye twitch slightly. Zeref seemed to be a touchy subject with her. "Yes, but that incident was long ago and no longer of relevance," she crossed her arms over her flat chest. "Unfortunately we aren't here to discuss my previous relations with your brother, we are here to talk about you."

"Really? That's great because I love talking about myself," Natsu answered sarcastically.

"Then this should be easy," Mavis replied without missing a beat. "Now tell me, is there going to be another scheduled attack on this base like there was recently? You know, the one that unnecessarily bombed a hospital full of innocent lives?"

"I am aware of the one," Natsu reverted back to his serious self while making sure to hold his tongue so he could avoid making too many sarcastic remarks to avoid angering Mavis. The woman appeared very calm and kind even when dealing with an enemy but his instincts told him that he did not want to make her mad. "And no, none that I am aware of. I'm a little tied up here at the moment."

"I see," he watched her posture relax slightly. "Was Zeref forced to call in for reinforcements after the last battle?"

"No. We have plenty of men, not too many fatalities."

"Estimate how many from the last attack."

"I dunno…no more than 100. It wasn't a large attack after all."

"Is your brother on ending the war soon?"

"Absolutely not," Natsu answered faster than he intended. "Zeref is too stubborn to ever declare defeat. He won't stop until you do, or if you are all annihilated."

Mavis regarded him carefully with clear eyes. He was unable to figure out how she was feeling from her poker face. "Do you agree with this war?"

The soldier stared back at the woman for a solid minute, neither moving as they watched each other. He wasn't going to lie to himself, the question caught him off guard. Not wanting to blurt anything stupid out he thought about his answer. With a soft sigh, Natsu was the one to break the staring contest as his eyes shifted towards his hands. "No…I never agreed with this stupid war."

"That we can both agree on," Mavis answered in a kinder voice. Raising his gaze to her youthful face he could see the pain flickering behind her emerald orbs. "But I cannot end this war. I have to protect my country."

"And I have to protect my brother," he murmured to himself, not caring if Mavis heard.

"You can see how we are at a standstill." When Natsu remained silent she surprised him by the final question she asked him. "How is the morality at your camp?"

Breathing out through his flared nostrils, Natsu stood up from the thin mattress he had been occupying, taking three strides to stand in front of Mavis, the metal bars separating their worlds. "What the hell kinda question is that?"

Mavis simply smiled, glancing over at the guards who flanked her briefly. "Here at Fairy Tail, we strive to build each other up. We aid each other and strive for our friends to grow stronger. We are not just comrades, we're family and no matter what happens family always fights together even against the toughest foes."

"That's what makes Fairy Tail different than Alvarez…" Natsu responded quietly, moving to sit back down on his crappy bed. He barely paid attention to when Mavis and the two guards left him alone.

He had expected beatings, screaming, blackmail until the precious intel about his camp's location, entrances, and weaknesses he knew spilled from his closed lips. Instead he was unnerved by a fairy's whimsical voice whispering in his head. He decided then that the latter was much worse.

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 **Author's Note: Hey!I'm still alive lol. Sorry for the lack of updates. I just started college! Things are pretty busy but I'm going to finish this story I promise. IT might take a while but it will get done since there's a lot of drama that still has to go down. Sorry for the lack of nalu in this chapter but I wanted to give you guys a chapter with Natsu's POV and to delve deeper into his character and learn a bit about his past. Who is the man from his memories? Tell me who you think it is and your theories on Natsu's past. It will be revealed later. ~CelestialSpiritQueen**


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